Softball Completes Regular Season Sweep of Lesley

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College softball team made it a season sweep of Lesley University on Sunday, winning by final scores of 7-1 and 5-0 in New England Collegiate Conference action.

The Mariners never trailed in the opener as Katelyn Lipsky yielded five hits and struck out five in a complete-game performance. Brooke Whitmarsh supplied three hits and plated a run to pace the offense, which finished with 11 hits.

In the second game, Mitchell starter Emily Reynolds scattered 11 hits en route to her second career shutout. Jenna Bennett and Alex Lopez each finished with a pair of hits and knocked in a run to lead the Mariners at the plate.

Mitchell (15-17 overall, 4-4 NECC) will next host Anna Maria College on Wednesday, April 27 at 3:00 p.m.

Game 1 – Mitchell 7, Lesley 1

Mitchell grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to back-to-back doubles from Bennett and Whitmarsh. In the fourth, the Lynx loaded the bases with two outs, but Lipsky got a strike out to end the threat and preserve the one-run lead.

The Mariners added another run in the fourth to go up 2-0. Sydney Oatway reached base with an infield single, and she later scored from third on a throwing error.

Lesley cut the deficit in half with a run in the fifth, as a two-out double by Jordan Day scored Megan Murphy. Mitchell responded with three runs in the home half to buffer its lead. The Mariners set the table with three base hits, but the Lynx committed two critical errors that contributed to the damage.

A double by Madison Nicynski and a single by Nene Capeles both knocked in runs in the sixth, padding the lead to 7-1. Lipsky worked around a hit and an error to keep the Lynx off the scoreboard in the seventh, securing her sixth win of the season. 

Samantha Mecklenburg took the loss for Lesley, dropping to 3-7 on the season. She gave up seven runs (five earned) on 12 hits and struck out three.

Game 2 – Mitchell 5, Lesley 0

The Mariners jumped out to an early lead once again, as a double by Bennett and an RBI single by Lopez made it 1-0 in the first. Mitchell tacked on another run in the second on an RBI single by Bennett, and a two-run single by Nicynski made it 4-0 in the third. In the fourth, Landry reached base with a one-out double and later scored on a single to right field by Whitmarsh.

Reynolds pitched out of jams all afternoon, stranding runners on base in every inning but the sixth. She struck out two batters and didn't issue a walk, improving to 9-7 on the year.

Day, who finished with a team-high three hits in the contest, also got the starting nod for the Lynx in the circle. She surrendered five runs (four earned) on eight hits while walking five and striking out three, dropping to 7-6 on the season.